News Article

10 January 2013 by Erin Greene

The 2nd ITU Science and Triathlon Conference will feature an impressive line-up of speakers and conference participants in Magglingen, Switzerland, February 7-9, 2013.

Headlining the list of keynote speakers are such notables as Malcolm Brown and Jack Maitland, who are best known for their roles in preparing Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee for their history-making medal performances at the London Olympic Games.

Periodisation and polarised training in endurance sport will be one of the themes of the conference, with noted experts in this field such as Dr. Stephen Seiler, University of Agder, Faculty of Health and Sport, and Dr. Jurgen Wick, Deputy Director Institute of Applied Science, Leipzig slated to provide lectures. They will focus on the impact of competition structure and periodisation theory from 2008 to 2012, presenting what lessons we can apply moving towards the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Speakers on the topic of injuries, nutrition and recovery include Dr. Samuel Mettler, who manages nutrition for the Swiss Federal Office of Sport, Dr. Veronica Vleck, the well known expert on training load and triathlon injuries, Dr. Liz Broad, Manager of Clinical Services for AIS Sports Nutrition, and Dr. Steve Ingham, Head of Physiology at the English Institute of Sport.

With ITU’s ambition of having the Mixed Relay on the Olympic Programme and the growth of the sprint distance triathlon, well-known specialists in preparing athletes for various triathlon distances will explore the physiological impact coaches face in the 2013-16 Olympic quad. Dr. Inigo Mujika, a renowned expert in this field, along with Hans Christer Holmberg, professor of sport science in Sweden, will headline the conference with their extensive research and expertise in the physiological differences between distances in triathlon, as well as other endurance Olympic sports.

Dr. Margo Mountjoy of McMaster University will present the current findings from the IOC – FINA – ITU project on thermal stress associated with open water swimming. She will be joined by Dr. Sergio Migliorini, Chair of the ITU Medical Committee for this session.

The conference will wrap up with a session on talent ID with Dr. Olivier Aubel presenting cycling lessons from renowned Olympic coach Darren Smith, with a focus on late bloomers amongst elite women. Dr. Thomas Moeller will present the German experience and Dr. Adrian Burgi will showcase his work on career development in world class triathletes.